JP2006304012A - Closing assist device, image reader, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enable even a short person or a user sitting on a wheel chair to easily close an automatic document feeder. <P>SOLUTION: A closing assist device is configured to assist in closing the openable and closable automatic document feeder 101 having one end pivoted on an image reader 102 by a connecting mechanism 19, when the automatic document feeder 101 is opened and held at a specified angle by the connecting mechanism 19, and the closing assist device includes a cord 20 between an image reader 102 and the automatic document reader so that one end of the cord 20 is fixed and the other end is fixed or bound. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a closing assist device that is used as an auxiliary when a user closes an opening / closing member that can be opened and closed in an apparatus main body, and an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the closing assist device. .

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an image reading apparatus that reads a document has an openable / closable lid that opens and closes a document table glass on which the document is placed by a user, or an automatic document supply device that automatically feeds a document onto the document table glass. ing. Under the platen glass, an image reading unit is provided for reading the document by irradiating the document with light.

  In this case, the opening / closing lid and the automatic document feeder are held at a predetermined opening angle so that the user can place the document on the platen glass when the user lifts the front side and opens the platen glass. It has come to be.

  However, in general, the image reading apparatus is often provided on an upper part of an image forming apparatus that forms an image on a sheet based on reading information obtained by reading an original by the image reading apparatus. For this reason, when the position of the image reading apparatus becomes higher, the position of the opening / closing lid or the automatic document feeder on the image reading apparatus becomes even higher, and when the opening / closing lid or the automatic document feeder is opened, The user who is low or who is in a wheelchair has a problem that it is difficult to reach the open / close lid and the automatic document feeder. In particular, a user on a wheelchair has a problem that the wheelchair gets in the way and it is difficult to get close to the image reading apparatus, and it is difficult for the user to reach the open opening / closing lid and the automatic document feeder.

  The closing assist device described in Patent Document 1 has solved this problem. When the user opens an opening / closing lid as an opening / closing body or an automatic document feeder, the closing assisting device has a closing assistance member that hangs down at the side of the opening / closing lid or the automatic document feeder and at an intermediate position in the front-rear direction. It is provided and configured. The closing assist device can close the opening / closing lid and the automatic document feeder when the user pulls the closing assist member toward the front side.

JP 2003-66544 A

  In recent years, however, an image forming apparatus capable of forming a large number of images at a high speed is required in the market, and a paper feed option capable of accommodating a large capacity recording medium is installed so as to correspond to the performance. It has become. When such a paper feed option is installed, a configuration in which the paper feed option is disposed at the lower part of the main body of the image forming apparatus has been considered as a device that does not increase the installation space of the entire image forming apparatus. In the conventional closing assisting device, the closing assisting member is provided on the side of the opening / closing lid and the automatic document feeder, so that when the opening / closing lid and the automatic document feeder are opened, the closing assisting member moves upward together. For image forming devices, etc., which have recently been developed with a large capacity paper feed option, etc., an open / close lid and automatic document supply with the hands of short users and wheelchair users open There was a problem that it was difficult to reach the closing assisting member of the apparatus.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a closing assist device capable of closing an opening / closing body even for a user who cannot reach an opening / closing body opened at a high position, such as a short user or a user on a wheelchair. It is aimed.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide an image reading apparatus that includes the above-described closing assist device and that facilitates a reading operation by a user.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus provided with the above closing assisting device and having improved image forming efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, in the closing assist device of the present invention, an openable and closable opening / closing body having one end pivotally attached to the upper portion of the apparatus main body is opened and held at a predetermined angle by the pivoting means. A closing assisting device for assisting in closing the opening / closing body with respect to the device main body, wherein a cord-like member is provided between the device main body and the opening / closing body, and at least one end of the device main body and the device It is characterized by being fixed to one of the opening and closing bodies.

  Since the close assisting device of the present invention is provided with a cord-like member between the device main body and the opening / closing body, for example, for a short user or a wheelchair that cannot reach the opening / closing body left open. Even a rider can easily close the opening / closing body by placing a hand on the cord-like member at a position close to him / her.

  Hereinafter, a closing assist device, an image reading apparatus including the closing assist device, and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In addition, the numerical value described in this embodiment is a reference and is not a numerical value that limits the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a right side view of an image forming unit including an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus.

  In the image forming unit 110, an image reading device 102 that reads a document is stacked on a shelf 104 a of a movable storage rack 104. The image reading apparatus 102 transmits reading information of the read document to the image forming apparatus 102 described later, or transmits it to another image forming apparatus.

  An automatic document feeder 101 that automatically supplies a document to the image reading device 102 is provided on the image reading device 102. When the automatic document feeder 101 is rotated in the direction of arrow A, a document can be placed on the upper surface of the image reading device 102 as shown in FIG.

  The image forming apparatus 103 is loaded on the lower base 104 b of the storage rack 104. The image forming apparatus 103 forms an image on a sheet based on document reading information from the image reading apparatus 102. Further, the image forming apparatus 103 forms an image on a sheet based on read information transmitted from another image reading apparatus.

  FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the automatic document feeder 101 and the image reading device 102. Note that the internal structure of the image forming apparatus is a known internal structure and is not shown.

  An automatic document feeder 101 as an openable / closable body is provided on an upper part of an image reading apparatus 102 as an apparatus main body so as to be freely opened and closed by a user. The automatic document feeder 101 separates documents stacked on the document tray 7 one by one by the separation feeding roller 8 in a closed state, and sequentially conveys the documents of the image reading device 102 by the conveyance belt 9. After being supplied onto the table glass 6, the original is reversed by the reverse discharge unit 10 and then discharged to the discharge unit 11.

  The image reading apparatus 102 irradiates the original of the scanner unit 13 with the light of the lamp 12 on the original conveyed by the automatic original feeder 101 over the original table glass 6. The reflected light from the document is input to the CCD image sensor unit 18 through the mirrors 14, 15, 16 and the lens 17. The reflected light of the original input to the CCD image sensor unit 18 is subjected to electrical processing such as photoelectric conversion in the CCD image sensor unit 18 and is subjected to normal digital processing.

  The image forming apparatus 103 forms a toner image on a photosensitive drum as image forming means (not shown) based on image information from the CCD image sensor unit 18, and transfers the toner image to a sheet for fixing.

  In FIG. 2, a paper discharge unit 105 on which sheets discharged from the image forming apparatus 103 are stacked is formed between the image reading apparatus 102 and the image forming apparatus 103. In the space SP, sheets are stacked. The space SP needs to be large enough for the user to insert a hand and take out the sheet. For this reason, the image reading apparatus 102 and the automatic document feeder 101 are installed at high positions. Moreover, since the automatic document feeder 101 is provided on the image reading device 102, it is installed at the highest position in the image forming unit 110.

  Note that the image forming apparatus 103 may discharge the sheet to the side of the image forming apparatus. In this case, the space SP is not necessary. Even when the space SP is unnecessary, there is no change in that the automatic document feeder 101 is installed at the highest position in the image forming unit 110. In the present exemplary embodiment, a configuration in which the image reading apparatus 102 and the image forming apparatus 103 are separated and installed in a predetermined storage space of the storage rack 104 will be described. It goes without saying that the present invention is also effective in an image forming unit provided with the apparatus.

  Further, the automatic document feeder 101 is in an open state when it is opened at a predetermined angle (for example, about 15 degrees) or more by a connecting mechanism 19 as a pair of hinged hinges with respect to the image reading apparatus 102. Is to be retained. That is, the automatic document feeder 101, when placing the document on the document table glass 6, is opened at the predetermined angle by the connecting mechanism 19 when the document is opened beyond a predetermined angle. It is designed to be held in a state. The connection mechanism 19 applies a force in a direction to close the automatic document feeder 101 when the opening angle of the automatic document feeder 101 is equal to or smaller than a predetermined angle. In addition, since the structure of the connection mechanism 19 is well-known, description of a structure is abbreviate | omitted.

  As described above, the automatic document feeder 101 is installed at the highest position in the image forming unit 110 and is opened at a predetermined angle. May be difficult to reach the automatic document feeder 101 and the automatic document feeder 101 may be difficult to close.

  Therefore, the automatic document feeder 101 and the image reading apparatus 102 according to the present embodiment have a thickness of about 1 mm as a flexible (flexible) cord-like member in the vicinity of the open / close end side. It is connected with a string 20 made of resin or fiber. That is, the upper end 20a of the string 20 is fixed to the right front side of the automatic document feeder 101, and the lower end 20b is fixed to the right front side of the image reading device 102 (a position substantially opposite to the mounting position of the automatic document feeder 101). Note that a wire, a chain, or the like may be used instead of the string 20. The chain may be made of resin or metallic. Therefore, the cord-like member is not limited to the string.

  After the user leaves the automatic document feeder 101 with the image forming unit 110 open, if the user who uses the image forming unit 110 next is a user on a wheelchair, for example, Even if the hand does not reach the document feeder 101, as shown in FIG. 1, the automatic document feeder 101 can be closed by placing the hand on the string 20 and pulling it toward the front side. The string 20 constitutes a closing assist device.

  As shown in FIG. 1, if a pipe-like handle 21 is provided at a place where the hand of the cord 20 is put, the automatic document feeder 101 can be reliably closed because the cord 20 can be easily pulled. In addition, if the handle 21 is not fixed to the string 20 and is provided so that its position can be adjusted according to the user, the user can easily and safely close the automatic document feeder 101. In this case, the string 20 and the handle 21 constitute a closing assist device 121.

  Also, with the above configuration, even a weak user who does not have a gripping force can easily close the automatic document feeder 101 by hooking his arm on the string 20 or the handle 21 and pulling it toward the front side.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the handle 21 may be provided at the lower end 20 b by passing the string 20 through a guide member 24 provided in the image reading apparatus 102. The guide member 24 not only guides the string 20 but also receives the handle 21 as a retaining member when the automatic document feeder 101 is opened too much so that the automatic document feeder 101 does not open to an unnecessary angle. It also has a role to make. In this case, the string 20, the handle 21, and the guide member 24 constitute a closing assist device 122.

  As described above, when the handle 21 is provided at the lower end 20b of the string 20, the position of the handle 21 is lowered. For example, even a user on a wheelchair can easily pull the handle 23 downward or forward, and the automatic document. The supply device 101 can be easily closed. In particular, even a user whose arm does not rise to a high position can easily hold the handle 21 at a position lower than the automatic document feeder 101 and pull the string 20, so that the automatic document feeder 101 can be reliably closed. .

  Further, the lower end 20b of the string 20 may be wound up by a take-up reel 26 provided on the right side or the right front side of the image reading apparatus 102 as shown in FIG.

  Even in this case, the automatic document feeder 101 can be easily closed by turning the handle 27 provided on the take-up reel 26 by the user. In particular, even a user whose arm does not rise to a high position can easily turn the handle 27 at a position lower than the automatic document feeder 101, so that the automatic document feeder 101 can be reliably closed.

  Further, if the length of the handle 27 is increased, even a powerless user can easily rotate the take-up reel 26 and easily close the automatic document feeder 101.

  A motor may be used in place of the take-up reel 26. Further, a pulley-like reel is attached to the automatic document feeder 101, one end of the string 20 is fixed to the image reading device 102 side, and the remaining other end wound around the pulley-like reel on the automatic document feeder 101 side is pulled. Thus, the closing operation force can be reduced.

  In FIG. 5, the string 20, the take-up reel 26 and the handle 27 constitute a closing assist device 123.

  The automatic document feeder 101 in the above embodiment can be applied to an opening / closing lid as an opening / closing body that covers the document table glass 6 of the image reading device 102 instead.

FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining an operation when the automatic document feeder is closed by the closing assist device according to the embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a right side view of an image forming unit including an image reading apparatus and an image forming apparatus. FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of an automatic document feeder and an image reading device. FIG. It is a right view of the closing auxiliary | assistance apparatus at the time of providing a handle in the string lower end. It is a right view of the closing auxiliary | assistance apparatus at the time of providing a winding reel in the string lower end.

Explanation of symbols

6 Document glass 19 Connection mechanism 20 String (corrugated member)
20b Lower end of string 21 Handle (holding member)
24 Guide member 26 Take-up reel (winding means)
27 Handle (winding means)
101 Automatic document feeder (opening / closing body)
102 Image reading device (device main body)
103 Image Forming Device 104 Storage Rack 105 Paper Discharge Unit 110 Image Forming Unit 121 Closing Auxiliary Device 122 Closing Auxiliary Device 123 Closing Auxiliary Device

Claims (7)

When an openable / closable opening / closing body pivotally attached at one end to the upper portion of the apparatus main body is opened and held at a predetermined angle by the pivoting means, the opening / closing body is held with respect to the apparatus main body. A closing assist device for assisting in closing,
A closing assist device comprising a cord-like member between the device main body and the opening / closing body, with at least one end fixed to either the device main body or the opening / closing body.   The closing assist device according to claim 1, wherein a handle is provided on the cord-like member.   An end of the cord-like member on the side of the apparatus main body is provided through the guide member that is provided in the apparatus main body and guides the cord-like member, and is provided on the end on the side of the apparatus main body. The closing assist device according to claim 1, wherein the closing assist device is prevented from being detached from the guide member by a member.   2. The closing assist device according to claim 1, wherein an end portion of the cord-like member on the device main body side is connected to a winding unit that winds the cord-like member provided in the device main body. . Image reading means for reading an image of a document;
An automatic document feeder that is pivotally attached at one end to the upper part of the image reading unit by a pivoting unit, and that supplies a document to the image reading unit;
A closing assist device for assisting in closing the automatic document feeder,
5. The image reading apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closing assist device is the closing assist device according to claim 1. An image reading device for reading an image of a document;
Image forming means for forming an image read by the image reading device on a sheet,
An image forming apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image reading apparatus is the image reading apparatus according to claim 5. Image reading means for reading an image of a document;
An automatic document feeder that is pivotally attached at one end to the upper part of the image reader and feeds a document to the image reader;
Image forming means for forming an image read by the image reading means on a sheet;
A closing assist device for assisting in closing the automatic document feeder,
The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the closing assist device is the closing assist device according to claim 1.

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